Non-skid ball bearings with adjustable stroke for punch presses

For use in a punch press including a base for mounting base tooling and having a plurality of guide pins upstanding from the base in spaced relationship with a motion member above the base for mounting upper tooling above the base tooling, said motion member being carried by ball-bearing bushings mounted to the motion member, said ball-bearing bushings each including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and held by a cage within the housing, said balls being rollable downwardly along a respective guide pin during a downward stroke of said motion member and upwardly along the respective guide pin during an upward return stroke of said motion member, and wherein said motion member suddenly stops at a lower limit of the downward stroke, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of anti-skid stops,
• respective anti-skid stops being adapted to be associated with respective guide pins near the lower limit of the down stroke,
• each anti-skid stop having an anti-skid element for positioning near an associated guide pin,
• said anti-skid element is adapted to enter into a lower end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing near the lower limit of the down stroke for preventing the cage and the balls held by the cage from skidding downwardly within the bearing housing when the motion member suddenly stops at the lower limit of the down stroke,
• the lower end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing has clearance for allowing entry of said anti-skid element into the lower end of the housing, and
• said anti-skid element is a sleeve for encircling the guide pin near the lower limit of the down stroke.

For use in a punch press including a base for mounting base tooling and having a plurality of guide pins upstanding from the base in spaced relationship with a motion member above the base for mounting upper tooling above the base tooling, said motion member being carried by ball-bearing bushings mounted to the motion member, said ball-bearing bushings each including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and held by a cage within the housing, said balls being rollable downwardly along a respective guide pin during a downward stroke of said motion member and upwardly along the respective guide pin during an upward return stroke of said motion member, and wherein said motion member suddenly stops at a lower limit of the downward stroke, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of anti-skid stops,
• respective anti-skid stops being adapted to be associated with respective guide pins near the lower limit of the down stroke,
• each anti-skid stop having an anti-skid element for positioning near an associated guide pin,
• said anti-skid element is adapted to enter into a lower end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing near the lower limit of the down stroke for preventing the cage and the balls held by the cage from skidding downwardly within the bearing housing when the motion member suddenly stops at the lower limit of the down stroke,
• the anti-skid stop is adapted for encircling the guide pin near the lower limit of the down stroke,
• the anti-skid stop includes an annular shoulder projecting radially outwardly, and
• said annular shoulder is adapted to seat upon resilient stop means in a position for the lower end of the bearing housing to come into contact with said annular shoulder at the lower limit of the down stroke.

In a punch press having first tooling mounted on first mounting means and second tooling mounted on second mounting means and having a plurality of guide pins for guiding said first and second mounting means toward and away from each other during a work stroke and during a return stroke, respectively, and wherein a plurality of ball-bearing bushings are used rolling along respective guide pins, said ball-bearing bushings each including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and retained by a cage within the housing, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of anti-skid means,
• respective anti-skid means being associated with respective guide pins near a lower limit of the work stroke,
• each anti-skid means having an anti-skid element near the associated guide pin,
• said anti-skid element entering into an end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing rolling along the associated guide pin near the limit of the work stroke and controlling the cage for preventing the cage and the balls from becoming displaced within the housing when motion of the bushing suddenly stops at the limit of the work stroke, and
• said end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing having clearance for allowing entry of said anti-skid element into said end of the housing and for allowing said anti-skid element to come into contact with an end of the cage for controlling the cage.

In a punch press having first tooling mounted on first mounting means and second tooling mounted on second mounting means and having a plurality of guide pins for guiding said first and second mounting means toward and away from each other during a work stroke and during a return stroke, respectively, and wherein a plurality of ball-bearing bushings are used rolling along respective guide pins, said ball-bearing bushings each including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and retained by a cage within the housing, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of anti-skid means,
• respective anti-skid means being associated with respective guide pins near a lower limit of the work stroke,
• each anti-skid means having an anti-skid element near the associated guide pin,
• said anti-skid element entering into an end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing rolling along the associated guide pin near the limit of the work stroke for preventing the cage and the balls from becoming displaced within the housing when motion of the bushing suddenly stops at the limit of the work stroke,
• said end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing has clearance for entry of said anti-skid element into said end of the housing, and
• said anti-skid element is an anti-skid sleeve encircling the associated guide pin near said limit of the work stroke.

In a punch press having first tooling mounted on first mounting means and second tooling mounted on second said first and second mounting means toward and away from each other during a work stroke and during a return stroke, respectively, and wherein a plurality of ball-bearing bushings are used rolling along respective guide pins, said ball-bearing bushings each including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and retained by a cage within the housing, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of anti-skid means,
• respective anti-skid means being associated with respective guide pins near a limit of the work stroke,
• each anti-skid means having an anti-skid element near the associated guide pin,
• said anti-skid element entering into an end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing rolling along the associated guide pin near the limit of the work stroke for preventing the cage and the balls from becoming displaced within the housing when motion of the bushing suddenly stops at the limit of the work stroke,
• said anti-skid means encircles the guide pin near the limit of the work stroke,
• said anti-skid means include an annular shoulder projecting radially outwardly,
• said annular shoulder seats upon resilient stop means in a position for the end of the bearing housing to come into contact with said annular shoulder at said limit of the work stroke;
• and
• said anti-skid element is connected to said annular shoulder and extends from said annular shoulder toward said ball-bearing bushing.

In a punch press having a first tool mounted on a first member and a second tool mounted on a second member and having a plurality of guide pins for guiding said first and second members relatively toward each other during a work stroke for punching material between the first and second tools, said guide pins guiding said first and second members away from each other during a return stroke and having a plurality of ball-bearing bushings rolling along respective guide pins in a first direction during said work stroke and rolling along respective guide pins in a second direction during said return stroke, each of said ball-bearing bushings including a housing having multiple balls rollable within the housing and being retained by a cage within the housing, apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of resilient means for cushioning sudden stopping of relative motion of said first and second members toward each other at a limit of said work stroke,
• a plurality of anti-skid stops,
• each of said anti-skid stops encircling a respective guide pin,
• each anti-skid stop being associated with respective resilient means,
• each anti-skid stop including a sleeve closely encircling a respective guide pin and being of sufficiently small external diameter for entering into an end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing rolling along a respective guide pin as said first and second members are nearing said limit of said work stroke,
• each anti-skid stop including a stop shoulder of larger diameter than said sleeve,
• said stop shoulder being near the associated resilient means,
• said end of the housing coming into contact with said stop shoulder at the limit of the work stroke, and
• said anti-skid stop including a sleeve closely encircling a respective guide pin and being of sufficiently small external diameter for entering into an end of the housing of the ball-bearing bushing rolling along a respective guide pin as said first and second members are nearing said limit of said work stroke,
• each anti-skid stop including a stop shoulder of larger diameter than said sleeve,
• said stop shoulder being near the associated resilient means,
• said end of the housing coming into contact with said stop shoulder at the limit of the work stroke, and
• said sleeve coming into contact with the cage in said housing at the limit of the work stroke for preventing skidding in said first direction of the cage and the balls within said housing.

In an electromagnetic thrust motor for use in a punch press, said motor having a solenoid winding with an opening upon electrical energization of the winding and a push rod connected from said armature to a movable part of the punch press for moving said part of the punch press, adjustment means for adjusting the position of the armature comprising:

• a shoulder on the push rod,
• a stud on the push rod upstanding above said shoulder,
• said armature having a mounting passage therein,
• said stud upstanding through said mounting passage for mounting the armature on said stud above said shoulder,
• releasable fastening means on said stud for retaining the armature on the stud,
• a plurality of non-magnetic spacers each having a hole therein,
• said spacers having various thicknesses,
• said holes being of sufficient size for allowing said spacers to be mounted on said stud and being sufficiently small for preventing any spacers on the stud and located below the armature from going downward past said shoulder, and
• said spacers being mounted on said stud along with the armature.